DAY 146: DNA

This is almost a spin on the chicken and egg story!

Family resemblances are fascinating - how cleverly, brilliantly our Creator planned the human race.  The way DNA works (the little that I understand about it) is marvelous in the extreme.  As the bible records 'we are fearfully and wonderfully made!'  And to think there are scores of 'dufuses' that still think it all just happened....whereas the intricacies of the human body and human families genes alone are worthy of our utmost fascination. Where there is such extraordinary intelligence, there must be an extraordinary intelligent Creator.

DAY 145: WHAT CAME FIRST ETC.

The eternal question: what came first.

If you research this on the internet, all you basically get into is whether people are evolutionists or creationists.  

What is much more interesting to me (as a creationist) is the most amazing fact that a hen manufactures in her body, a WHOLE egg every 24 hours.  

If you love eggs - fried, poached, scrambled, in omelettes, etc. etc.........
that is more important.  

DAY 144: FOLLOW THE LEADER

Awesome leadership? Awesome follower-ship? No, just the kids following their mom, trusting her to take care of them.  

I don't know whether her entourage were very wise on this occasion, as roads were made for vehicles not birds, but I have heard many heartwarming stories of drivers stopping on roads and even highways, to allow the safe crossings of our fine feathered friends.

Following and submitting to leadership in the case of humans, is a choice, an act of your will, not just an instinct.......

DAY 143: REAL COOL.....

On a very hot day like today, it would feel good to splash around in some water to cool off.  This little character was pretty desperate so hopped into the nearest source of cool water, and looks quite relieved about it all. 

In fact, it seems that this little guy was actually suffering from heatstroke, as the symptoms are that he has his wings away from his body and looks like he is panting.  He urgently needed cooling down as continued heat could lead to a convulsion.

So well done, little parrot - you are real cool!

DAY 142: BOTTOMS UP!

There's a very cheerful spontaneity about birds that I love.  They are usually totally unselfconscious, although I've met a few that are quite shy.  

Not like people, well....some people. Not men, generally. Men aren't usually shy or withdrawn, and especially not about their appearance.

We women, on the other hand, are generally quite amazingly selfconscious and worried about how we look, i.e. 'does my bum look big in this, darling?'

It's all a bit silly, really ......

DAY 141: PASSIONATE PHOTOGRAPHERS

I know a few really keen photographers, but how is this for passion?

I mean, how much time did the guy sacrifice crouching in the water?

I mean, how uncomfortable was that sopping wet stinking piece of sackcloth?

And in the long run, couldn't a telephoto lens have done the trick?

(not that I know anything about telephoto lenses).

Then, look at the studied indifference of the star of the show!

The Kingfisher is totally unfazed.

Lastly, the guy who took the photo of the crazy photographer and the Kingfisher - what can be said about HIM? 

Was he also in "camo" and being studiously ignored by the bird. 

Hmmm ....

DAY 140: LITTLE GREY MEN

Guinea Fowl are very interesting and unique creatures.  They have many uses.  They are kept frequently for a source, of income, meat, watchdogs, and entertainment.  They are extremely hardy birds, and forage very well.  They are an ideal bird for any farm, and often get lumped together with the chickens.

Like officious little men in baggy gray suits, the guinea fowl scuttle up and down, scouring for beetles, locusts, spiders, and ticks. They patrol for ants, cockroaches, flies, wasps, termites, cutworms, grubs, and snails. The guinea fowl are relentless in their pursuit.

Ask those who keep guineas why they have them and you'll get a different answer every time:
- Chicken and turkey farmers keep them to ward off poultry-eating predators. 
- Ranchers turn them loose to discourage rattlers and copperheads. 
- Country dwellers like the way they gobble down disease-carrying ticks. 
- Orchard owners use them to drive off marauding birds. 
- Farmers put them to work patrolling for row crop pests. 
Guineas do all this without damaging crops. Sure, they'll take the occasional peck at a cultivated plant, but they much prefer insects, weeds, and seeds.

Free-ranging guineas spend most of their days foraging. They work as a team, marching chest to chest and devouring anything they startle as they move through the grass. When they discover a special treat—a rodent, for example, or a small snake—they close ranks, circle their prey, and move in for the feast. All the while, they keep up a steady stream of whistles, chirps, and clicks, a sort of running commentary on the day's hunt.

DAY 139: WHY, OH WHY DID HE DO IT?

 

The age old silly question.  The basic answer, of course, is 'who cares?'. 

But seeing as this is for your enterainment, lets do it!  
This is how certain famous individuals through the ages may have answered:

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.  I envision a world where all chickens will be free to cross roads without having their motives being called into question

MOSES: And God came down from the Heavens, and He said unto the chicken, "Thou shalt cross the road." And the chicken crossed the road, and there was much rejoicing

CAPTAIN JAMES T. KIRK: To boldly go where no chicken has gone before.

BILL GATES: I have just released the new Chicken Office 2000, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook.

DARWIN: Chickens, over great periods of time, have been naturally selected in such a way that they are now genetically disposed to cross roads.

EINSTEIN: Whether the chicken crossed the road or the road moved beneath the chicken depends upon your frame of reference.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die. In the rain.

COLONEL SANDERS: I missed one?

DAY 138 MOMENT IN TIME

This must be the pelican equivalent of the human bad tempered threat to wring someone's neck.  But on the other hand, it could also be part of normal (?) pelican courtship behavior.  

My observation is that the bird on the receiving end needs an image consultant, and a new hairdo! The aggressor needs a klap....

DAY 137: CARRION, or AG SIS, MAN!

                      

Monday morning and here's a gut churning unpleasant subject - sorry about this, but hey.....it is also a part of the world of our fine feathered friends!

Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores, in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters (or scavengers) include vultures hawks, eagles.

Carrion, or the remains of dead animals, is something that most people would like to avoid — it is visually unpleasant, emits foul odors, and may be the source of numerous pathogens. Decomposition of carrion, however, provides a unique opportunity for scientists to investigate how nutrients cycle through an ecosystem. Many people might ask, "Why is this subject important?" Simply put, understanding carrion decomposition is important from both a basic and applied perspective. Carrion decomposition experiments allow scientists to better understand how ecosystems function so that they can more effectively manage natural environments. It also enhances the ability to identify the factors influencing decomposition rates, and to solve the forensic mysteries surrounding the unexplained deaths of animals, and of humans.

DAY 136: A LOCAL CALL

Don't worry, it's a local call!

The combination of birds and cellphones, however, are cause for great concern.....

An Internet website gives the following to back up this claim:

"We know that migratory birds use the earth’s geomagnetic field as a source of compass information, but there are two competing hypotheses for what the primary process within the birds are. One involves magnetite, the other an internal chemical reaction that is sensitive to magnetic resonance. Then again, perhaps it’s a complex interaction of both. 

Researchers have now found that robins get disoriented when they’re exposed to a vertically aligned broadband of 0.1 to 10 MHz, or a single frequency of 7 MHz broadcast at a 24- or 48-degree angle to the natural geomagnetic field. 

Your body is also dependent on appropriate chemical reactions, many of which are guided by electrical frequencies in your brain, some of which happen to oscillate at the same frequency as that of cell phones and wireless networks."

DAY 135: OUTSIDE vs INSIDE

Bird on the OUTSIDE looking in:

Wish I were in there where there's lots of food, warmth, every need looked after.  

Do you realise how blessed you are?

Bird on the INSIDE looking out:

You live such a free exciting life - I'm a prisoner in here and you are flying free, going wherever you want to go.

Do you realize how blessed you are?

DAY 134: CHECK OUT THE CHICKS!

                           

The newspaper made today's blog challenge easy - there was a marvelous article about baby owl chicks:

"If you want to check out the chicks, see a bit of fluff, eye the birds, make sure you head for De Waal Park in Oranjezicht as soon as possible.

And no, that’s not being gender insensitive and non-PC – there really are some fluffy chicks hanging out in the park: a pair of Spotted Eagle Owl chicks that are in the process of fledging.

Park staff are making sure the two special youngsters are being kept safe from the many dogs that exercise in this popular park by erecting a barrier around them until they’ve learnt to fly properly.

Park attendant Phillip Stoltz said the young owls had been “spotted” in their nest about two-and-a-half weeks ago, and staff had kept an eye on them. “Then on Monday a lady who normally walks her dogs here saw them stretching their wings.”

That night, one of the chicks had fallen out of the nest and yesterday moved to a spot on the ground about 150m away.

“We made a cage around it and kept watch all day, and the mother came down to it with a rat.”

On Wednesday, the second chick also abandoned the nest.

“So we’ve put this netting around them to keep them safe and happy, and the mother is also keeping watch.”

Dog-walkers were being considerate, and the youngsters were attracting huge attention from other park users, Stoltz said.

“People have been taking photos of these owls big-time.

“It’s something special, hey?” - Cape Argus, Thursday, October 17."

Special?  What an understatement!

DAY 133: TRICKY DESIGN

Here's an amazing sight....I had no idea of the size of the pelican's pouch - big enough to carry a pigeon! Well, I hope he is just giving him a ride somewhere and not about to swallow him whole!  Perhaps its

'BE KIND TO A DIFFERENT SPECIES' day down by the river.

Interesting fact:  the pelican pouch can hold up to 11 liters, is stretchy, and can expand and contract, depending on the size of his prey or water.

Oh, AND he can turn the pouch inside out! 

Tricky design, huh?

DAY 132: USES OF LOO PAPER INNERS

There are numerous things you can do with loo paper inners.  Some are creative:  i.e. 

• make a memory book by flattening the tubes & decorating them as pages (tick, done that)
• dip them in paint & use them to make interesting artistic marks
• decorate them & add bits, like a ball for a head & cardboard arms & legs to make a clown or some such thing
• roll string around them & make different paint marks on art works                                                                                   Other ideas are not as creative: 
• use them to add to your firewood for your braai
• play trumpet sounds                                                                      OR                                                                                 do what our fine-feathered-friend above is doing............be stupid! (tick? done that?)

DAY 131: LEAVE MY STUFF ALONE!

Herons fighting in the air, probably in breeding season, but they also fight each other over food.

Another big reason for air fighting is territory. What's mine is mine, and keep your cotton picking claws off my stuff.  

Anyone who has had more than one child will understand this philosophy of life! However, in nature it's often about the survival of the fittest, not about selfishness.....

DAY 130: WALKING ON WATER

These attractive birds are Jacanas, long-legged marshland waders.  It's difficult to tell from this picture, but they have very big feet, which enable them to walk on lily pads, & other stuff that floats on the surface of water.....so they have earned the name of Jesus birds, because they look like they are walking on water!  

DAY 129: BIRDS WITH MOUSTACHES?

               

The INCA TERNS sport handlebar MOUSTACHES reminiscent of the style of Salvador Dali (you know, the artist!). How strange.....most creatures are designed & engineered very practically to meet the needs of their lifestyle, but why would a bird need a moustache?  Perhaps for the humour value, so have a laugh at them, then maybe also at the following slightly amusing quotes:

A cinema villain essentially needs a moustache so he can twiddle with it gleefully as he cooks up his next nasty plan.

A moustache to a man is the same as a fringe is to a woman. When you've got it, you want to grow it out; when you've grown it out, you want to cut it.

A man without a moustache is like a cup of tea without sugar - English Proverb

I moustache you a question, but I'll shave it for later - Overused twitter line. 

DAY 128: WHAT IS YOUR SONG?

                                                 

The crow is NOT known for the beauty of its song -series of loud caws. You may also hear crows making a “subsong”: a mixture of hoarse or grating coos, caws, rattles, and clicks. These are arranged in sequences that can be many minutes long, given quietly and with a rambling, improvised quality.

So, what sort of song sound do YOU typically make? Here's a selection of possibles:

- irritable grunts 

- groans and mutters

- sighs and letting out of long breaths

- joyful chirps

- cheerful chattering

? ? ?

DAY 127: LAST WOODPECKER TALE

                             

What panic! And what a pest Woody turned out to be.

Here we have Noah and co doing their best to convince Woody that this is not a wise course of action.  In fact, they're doing their best to swot him a shot before he scuppers the whole ark.  

Poor Woody, just doing what woodpeckers are programmed to do.  I TOLD you he was insane!    

DAY 126: MORE WOODPECKER STUFF!

Woody Woodpecker - you either loved or hated him, the insane, demented cartoon character who was a contemporary of some other nutcase characters such as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. 

You may also remember (if, of course, you're sufficiently mature in years, i.e. old!) Woody's crazy song........but in case you've forgotten or you're not familiar with it (i.e. young) this is how it went:

Ho-ho-ho ho ho, ho-ho-ho ho ho
that's the Woody Woodpecker song
Ho-ho-ho ho ho, ho-ho-ho ho ho
he's a-peckin' it all day long

He pecks a few holes in a tree to see
if a redwood's really red
And it's nothing to him, on the tiniest whim
to peck a few holes in your head

DAY 125: THE WOODPECKER

                

                                 

Peckin’

The saddest thing I ever did see

Was a woodpecker peckin’ at a plastic tree.

He looks at me, and “friend” says he,

“Things ain’t what they used to be.”

by Shel Silverstein

DAY 124: HAPPINESS IS....

 

The bluebird of happiness, that mythical creature, inspired a song many years ago.  Its worth a read, and certainly contains some truths.  But, before you read it,  be warned - there's no bluebird of happiness! However, there is the Gospel of Christ, the only true source of happiness. 

The beggar man and the mighty king are only different in name,

For they are treated just the same by fate.
Today a smile and tomorrow a tear, we never know what's in store.
So learn your lesson before it is too late.

So be like I, hold your head up high 'til you find the bluebird of happiness.
You will find greater peace of mind, knowing there's a bluebird of happiness.
And when he sings to you, though you're deep in blue
You will see a ray of light creep through
And so remember this, life is no abyss
Somewhere there's a bluebird of happiness.

The poet with his pen, the peasant with his plow,
It makes no different who you are, it's all the same somehow.
The king upon his throne, the jester at his feet,
the artist, the actress, the man on the street.

It's a life of smiles and a life of tears 

It's a life of hopes and a life of fears.
A blinding torrent of rain and a brilliant burst of sun,
A biting tearing pain and bubbling sparkling fun.
And no matter what you have, don't envy those you meet.
It's all the same, it's in the game, the bitter and the sweet.

And if things don't look so cheerful, just show a little fight.
For every bit of darkness, there's a little bit of light.
For every bit of hatred, there's a little bit of love.For every cloudy morning, there's a midnight moon above.

DAY 123: TIME OUT

Seagulls are of the Laridae bird family. This word comes from the Greek word Larus, meaning 'ravenous seabird.' This is very fitting as the seagull is best known as being a scavenger. It is most often seen in large, noisy flocks, congregating wherever food is available. They can almost always be found around fishing boats, picnic grounds, parking lots and garbage dumps. 

Many people consider the gull to be a nuisance, but they actually perform a very valuable service. They are garbage men (sanitation engineers, for the politically correct) with wings. They scavenge up great numbers of dead animals and organic litter which could pose a health threat to humans.

So in this picture we see our garbage collectors having some time out, chilling on a boat for a few hours.  Everyone needs a break!  

DAY 122: SMELLS

It could be deodorant or lack thereof.
It could be aftershave that is not nice.
Some perfumes are awful! 
There is one I can't bear, called 'Poison.'  
It's got the right name.
I remember liking and using 'White Linen' ages ago, but someone 
told me that they couldn't stand being around me when I wore it!
Different stokes for different okes, I guess.

DAY 121: EAGLE SIMPLICITY

There are days when you could tackle and eat a whole wolf, and then there are days when just a little old fish will do.  For Ernesto the eagle, that is today. Just a little fish on the menu.  Not much planning involved.  Just picking up the snack on his way past.

I suppose we can compare this to preparing a big dinner in your own kitchen, (which involves a lot of work and sweat.  Got to do the planning, the big shop, pay for it, schlep it all home, store it, get it all out again, prepare it, cook it, serve it, wash up the mess afterwards) to driving into MacDonalds & picking up what passes for food.  

Maybe the eagle life is simpler!

DAY 120: NEVER UNDER-ESTIMATE ERNESTO

Driven by hunger and instinct, equipped to be a killing machine of incredible note, the amazing eagle (our Ernesto!) in action, taking out nothing less than a wolf!!  One wonders at the different weights of the two creatures, but I reckon the eagle won hands (claws? wings?) down ! 

Not quite as amazing, but nevertheless admirable, is the fact that the photographer was right there and captured it all on camera. 

What a dramatic wow moment! 

DAY 119: HUNGRY EAGLETS......AND MICKEY

                           

Here's a good lesson for us for the times when we get too big for our boots.  

Reminds me of the saying about the rat race - you can get out of it, 

but you're still a rat!!

Here Mickey, the famous mouse, is just part of the food chain.  

We must not think of ourselves more highly than the next person, nor

lower, but have a sober and sensible self image (God don't make

no junk).